Another Helicopter ditches into the north sea....

[Alex 111s]

The dangers have to be put into perspective though.

Passengers fly out every two to three weeks, pilots are doing it every day. Every time that I climbed into my car to drive to work, I was taking a far bigger chance than when I climbed into my helicopter.

tut

Agreed, the type of catasrtophic failure that has most likely led to this accident is a very low probability and the industry safety record overthe last 20 years in the North Sea has been excellent.
The magnitude of the loss and it happening in close proximity to another (most likely unrelated) ditching in the Noth Sea & the loss of a S-92 with 1 survivour from 18 en-route to the Hibernia platform off Newfoundland a short space of time reminds us that it is not risk free.

[Victor Meldrew]

May sound cynical but the press just love this thing.

Death. doom and gloom, calls for a public enquiry into how to stop it ever happening again, the oil companies at fault, people jumping on the bandwagon, like that knob Jake Malloy who takes every opportunity to get on the telly and tell everyone who will listen that corporate greed caused this.

The fact is, everybody involved from the aircraft designers, the maintainers, the ground crew, the pilot and the passengers all do everything they can to get people there and back again safely. The press hype makes me sick.

[campbell]

I'm afraid they needed something to move onto now that they have wrung the last few drops of sensation out of "The Recession" and "The Bankers" etc.

[DavieK]

I'm on the BP Clair at the moment and heard it on the news about 14:30 yesterday. As you can imagine it's a very quiet place to be right now.

No Bond flights today and for the next while so instead of going direct from west of Shetland to Aberdeen it looks like the Clair at least will be using Skatsta. Not sure how long Bond wont fly for though. Scotia seems to be doing the Bond flights but I dont know if they will have to split them with Bristows.

Been to the Miller a few times and went to school with some of the crew there but as of yet I've not seen if any names have been released.

[Stevoraith]

Names now on the BBC website. A couple of guys in their early twenties

My brother works for Transocean (on the Rather when he's offshore) and also said the office is a very quiet place to be today. Apparently they had personnell on seven of Bonds flights yesterday so are feeling very lucky to not be involved.

Deepest condolences to the families of all involved.

[meatball]

Very sad events.......my thoughts are with the families involved.

[tut]

I think that Bond will start flying again shortly as Bristows and Scotia have carried on as normal. Today's stand down was really as a mark of respect.

At least I am not losing friends any more, when I retired the Captain was 15 and the Co-pilot was 7.

tut

[Fluoxetine]

Unfortunately I knew at least one of them from the drill crew that worked on my platform a couple of years back - Thoughts are with the families involved...

[rossybee]

Nairn Ferrier is from a well-known family in Broughty Ferry & Monifieth - my dad is a friend of his (pints on Fridays in the Woodlands Hotel) and a long-time friend and business acquaintance of his father, and my brother is a friend and old school pal of his older brother

[Gareth]

I've just heard the one of the guys who died was actually a survivor of the heli crash in Feb.
That is f'in unbelieveable.

[ed]

Yeah, was on pistonheads also! Very sad.

[Northernpar]

The lad James Costello (24) used to work for me at PSN. Smashing lad who had a bright future.

Working in the industry any incident with loss of life hits home but knowing that James died has made it much more real.

What really p!sses me off is the media, trade union reps and politicians but especially the media. It seems everyone has something to say about the incident just to get their face in the paper or on the box. Don't they appreciate what the families and friends are going through and what affect this incessant speculation and sensationalism must be having on them?

[Victor Meldrew]

The lad James Costello (24) used to work for me at PSN. Smashing lad who had a bright future.

Working in the industry any incident with loss of life hits home but knowing that James died has made it much more real.

What really p!sses me off is the media, trade union reps and politicians but especially the media. It seems everyone has something to say about the incident just to get their face in the paper or on the box. Don't they appreciate what the families and friends are going through and what affect this incessant speculation and sensationalism must be having on them?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Think I will go and sit for a bit with a malt and contemplate what we do and what we risk and what we have lost.

[2F45T4U]

Tragic event for everyone concerned.
We were on that chopper that morning before it happened, took us out to Bruce, returned to ABZ, went to Miller and never came back.

Thoughts are with the families and friends of those lost in the incident.

[tut]

Fortunate timing and I know how you feel.

My first flight on the S76 in 1981 was a morning flight, in the afternoon a main rotor blade snapped off.

tut